I offer one-on-one personalized bass instruction for players of any age or ability level. Depending on the student and other variables, Skype/Face-Time sessions will be considered. Send me a PM to discuss current rates and availability.

MUSICIAN COACHING

If you're a musician new to Nashville, a music student at a university, or an active player looking to develop particular skills related to recording or live performance, I offer mentoring/coaching services to help you become a fully integrated musical artist! During these sessions we can explore:

- Ways to establish and/or develop your unique musical identity

- The setting of concrete, achievable goals for yourself as a working musician

- Getting work - and keeping it

- Building confidence on stage and in the recording studio

- Deepening your social and intuitive skills as they relate to interacting with other musicians and creatives

- Establishing healthy life habits that support and enhance your artistry

I will make every effort to provide you with the condensed perspective on being a professional musician that I sought myself when I began playing professionally in 1993. Full disclosure - I learned most of my lessons the hard way. (-;

This project with Anthony Matula took me waaaaay out of my comfort zone and for that I love it all the more. Visit The Blue Hour page to preview tracks, pre-order the recording, and grab a "Make Jazz, Not War" t-shirt. Pictured below - Steve Kummer (piano), Simon Yeh (sax), and Anthony (drums). Photo by Abby Rhyne.

Russ Long (en), Pat Buchanan (gtr), Jason Cheek (dr) and myself recently had the opportunity to sample the new Nx Virtual Mix Room technology by Waves Audio. Being immersed in the Nx virtual aural environment opened up striking new levels of sonic detail in our headphones and, despite our physical separation in the studio, made us all feel like we were in the same room. The rather surreal sensation of playing in the band while also hearing it from a listener's perspective definitely affected musical choices I was making as we recorded together and made for a more cohesive performance overall. Many congratulations to the Waves engineers!

Thanks to Tim Hibbs for this photo of last weekend's holiday celebration at the Ryman Auditorium with Emmylou Harris, Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, Loudon Wainwright III, Alison Krauss, and many others! All of these folks brought a message of peace and light much needed during this particularly strange and dark winter solstice. So thankful for them all.

SO PROUD of Danni Nicholls for the 2016 UK Album Of The Year nomination of "Mockingbird Lane", recorded right here in East Nashville! Many thanks to Stephen Leiweke, Bryan Owings, Will Kimbrough, Ralph T. Lofton, Billy Livsey, Pete Lanctot, Phil Madeira, Sam Ashworth, Brandy Zdan, Amy Stroup, Rebekah Powell, Steve O'Brien, Tommy Reilly, Alex McCullough, and Laura Donohue for their talents, and to The Americana Music Association UK for the support!

My dear friends Eleonore Denig, Jordan Brooke Hamlin, Cindy Morgan Brouwer, Stephen Leiweke, and myself have been storing this little project in the cellar for some time and have now decided that it's reached its peak of flavor! It pairs particularly well with a loved one. (;

Offering most sincere gratitude to Whispering Bob Harris for his spin (at 1:37:15) of "Long Road Home" by my buddy and collaborator Danni Nicholls, and for his generous support of her new "Mockingbird Lane" album which we recorded almost exactly one year ago right here in East Nashville! You can hear the rest of Danni's new tunes here.

My friends at Aguilar Amplification hosted me at The Artist Loft late last summer for a brief conversation about ways I approach bass playing within the framework of "Americana" music, and about how I use the Tone Hammer amps when doubling on electric and acoustic bass. I'm most grateful to Dave Boonshoft, Marco Passarelli, Jay Denes, and all of the team at Aguilar for their hospitality and support, and of course for their exceptional bass amplifiers and cabinets which inspire me greatly: